This short guide gives an historical overview of the care offered to disabled ex-Service personnel in England in terms of dedicated housing provision from 1900, when this first became a national concern.

Before the twentieth century, any State provision for housing disabled soldiers and sailors tended to be either within an institution or by payment of a pension. However, by then a charitable movement to care for, and especially to house, disabled veterans and their families was underway, and this developed greatly in response to increasingly destructive conflicts. This provision has left a legacy of a considerable range of historic buildings, singly or in planned groups, across England. To date, these have been little studied, notwithstanding their architectural and historical interest. Many remain the homes of ex-Service personnel, still fulfilling their original purpose.

Contents

Introduction

Historical Background

The Second Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902

The First World War, 1914-18Economic independenceSegregated or protected housingTuberculosis settlementsColonies and small-holdingsIntegrated urban housing

The Inter-War PeriodLocal and central government responseHousing provided by war charities and voluntary organisationsThe Douglas Haig Memorial Homes TrustVeterans’ housing as war memorials

The Second World War, 1939-45Accessible housing after 1945Memorial housing after the Second World War